I can't believe it's not a democracy!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha:

Lou Dobbs mulls run for White House, Senate. Then again, Sarah Palin thinks she has a shot, so maybe the joke's on us? Honestly, this country is fucked up. The republicans are just corrupt, and the democrats are mostly complicit (with elements of corruption and the occasional honest man/woman). We need a new WPA, real jobs that stay here and vigorous regulation of the financial industry, our food system, etc. That said, and despite 8 years of W, I think Americans are tired of stupid and mean-spirited. The majority, I mean. I hope that we made it through a mini-dark ages and can move on. But if either Dobbs or Palin show some real momentum....time to consider other options. Have I mentioned that my father was Canadian? Yeah, those kind of options.

Helen (of Margaret and Helen) posts her

Thanksgiving Letter to the Family 2009. It's a letter many people wish they could write (and send). And she starts on a lovely note, stating that for which she is thankful: This year I am thankful to have you as my family rather than a normal American family. I say that because Sarah Palin is fond of talking about her family being a normal American family.

Last time I checked everyone in my family knows where Africa is on a globe. Everyone goes to college after high school. We’ve had no teen pregnancies as of yet and no one has appeared in Playgirl. If the Palins are a normal, American family, I guess my bunch of anti-American socialists are fine by me.

There is more, of course. Click the link to see the whole thing.

Thanks to Reamus for the link.

Who would have thought that building a big city in the middle of the desert wasn't a good idea?

Las Vegas Nervously Watches The Water Drop. Why are they surprised? The mob (and others?) picks a spot in the middle of nowhere to be the place where they can operate casinos. It's in the middle of a desert. They build an airport, develop a strip and light up the whole place like a giant red light district. Then, after incredible and unsustainable growth--including suburban housing with green lawns (in a desert!) and golf courses--people look around and realize that they might not have enough water to keep the place green. Or lighted. This shouldn't be a surprise. James Howard Kunstler has been predicting this for years. He's not looking like a unrepentant pessimist now, is he?

Link via Atrios.

The holiday season (bit me O'Reilly) is approaching.

And in an attempt to get my shit in gear, I'm going down to S. Jersey to get some shopping done and maybe wrap a gift or two.  Every year I swear I will get this done early.  Every year I am left trying to get things done at the last minute.  Maybe this year will be different?  Yeah, I know.  

Hope you all have a restful, yet productive, weekend. 

The economy claims another victim:

Lou Dobbs to Quit CNN. Ok, the economy isn't to blame....he quit. Or did he? While Lou says he is leaving and considering "a number of options and directions," "Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S. said in a statement that 'Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere.'” Hmmm, "advocacy journalism?" Sounds like CNN got tired of having to defend Lou's obvious anti-immigrant asshole opinions.

But this sentence is what makes me think Mr. Dobbs was shown the door: “All of us will miss his appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile and larger than life presence he brought to our newsroom,” Mr. Klein said.

We will miss his appetite for big ideas and megawatt smile? Dude was fired. No worries, I'm sure he'll be picked up by FOX in a New York minute. After all, FOX seems drawn to CNN's sloppy seconds (see Glenn Beck).

Link via Atrios.

Looks like my neighbor has competition:

Noisy British lover loses sex appeal. AFP reports: A British woman lost her appeal Tuesday against a ban on her noisy sex sessions, after a court heard how her marathon romps that kept neighbours awake sounded like someone being murdered.

Caroline and Steve Cartwright's "howling" lovemaking sounded "unnatural", "hysterical" and "like they are both in considerable pain", Newcastle Crown Court in northeast England heard.

* * *

Neighbours at their home in Washington, south of Newcastle, complained about the noise -- as did passers-by and the postman.

The couple were banned from "shouting, screaming or vocalisation at such a level as to be a statutory nuisance", but Caroline Cartwright, 48, appealed under human rights laws against her conviction for breaching the ban.

Good for the court. There is no reason for this. I say this as someone who had to hear a neighbor's girlfriend who was a screamer extraordinaire. (Fortunately, I haven't heard her for a while, so I guess he got a new girlfriend...or a ball-gag.) And just in case you feel sorry for poor Mrs. Cartwright, who claimed she tried to bring down the noise level, consider this: Dixon said when the council confronted the couple, "Mr Cartwright held his head in his hands but Mrs Cartwright seemed to find it quite amusing." I bet she did.

The rich really are different than us:

Louis Vuitton makes a first aid kit.  Here it is:

a

Because one must properly store one's emergency Xanax, that's why.   

Support Senator Bernie Sanders effort to reign in the financial institutions that are "too big to fail":

Petition to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner -- Too Big to Fail is Too Big to Exist. Sign the petition and pass it on.

Thanks to John for the link.

Why you should never mess with Catholic school girls:

Flashees Foil Philly Flasher.CBS reports: Some high school girls have taken revenge on a suspected serial flasher.

There'd been several reports of a man exposing himself to students from St. Maria Goretti's High School for Girls in Philadelphia. The man would hide behind a van and wait for girls to walk by. Then he'd jump out, expose himself and run away. Police told the Philadelphia Inquirer he was suspected of flashing 13 victims in seven different incidents.

Now anyone who has lived in Philadelphia for a while is familiar with St. Maria Goretti's High School for Girls. Apparently at year's end, they remove their shoes and socks and frolic in the fountain across from the cathedral. There are many men in Philadelphia who live for that day. But their fantasies about catholic school girls probably don't end the way it did for the flasher. You see, the girls decided to fight back:

[A] group of about 20 students from St. Maria Goretti chased the suspected flasher down the street, wrestled him to the ground and held him there until police could take him into custody.

That sick fucker got a cut lip and a lesson he will never forget. Kudos to the girls at St. Maria Goretti.

Get out your handkerchiefs, part X:

Online auction site launches for rich and famous...who need cash. Fortunately, the site is exclusive so the very rich don't have to have the hoi polloi learn that they are a little less special.